Chapter 186: Family is Fine, God-Brother is Not
Ning Qingzhi looked at the items in her hands with anticipation, silently wondering: “What are these two things?”
Before Ning Xiyue could answer, Ning Qingyuan, who was still hugging their big brother’s shoulders, jumped up and excitedly pointed at the medicine in her hands: “Sis, could this be the medicine to heal his eyes?”
“Mm, that’s right. This black pill is for oral use, called Bright-Eye Pill—one pill each in the morning, noon, and evening. The contents in the bag are eye drops for brightening the eyes, two drops every two hours.”
Ning Xiyue took one pill out of the bag, placed it into her big brother’s hand, and handed him a cup of warm water.
Without a word, he took the pill and swallowed it.
“Will it work?” Song Jiayin watched anxiously as Ning Qingzhi swallowed the homemade pill in one gulp.
“Don’t worry, Sister Jiayin, it will definitely work.”
Ning Qingyuan, as his sister’s number-one fan, saw her through rose-colored glasses. He fully endorsed her skills, his eyes shining with pride, explaining convincingly:
“You can doubt my sister in other ways, but when it comes to medicine, you can absolutely trust her. She’s been learning related pathology knowledge from our grandfather since she was three. After going to the countryside, she studied hard every day, practicing diligently, and eventually became the respected barefoot doctor of the brigade.”
“So amazing!” Song Jiayin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Ning Xiyue. “I didn’t expect you to be this incredible, Yueyue.”
“Don’t listen to my second brother; he’s just praising me hard because I’m his sister. I just like tinkering with things, that’s all,” Ning Xiyue humbly replied. Meanwhile, she held the eye drops and carefully put two drops into his injured right eye and one drop into the healthy left eye.
“That’s still impressive.”
“Sis, when did you make these? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’ve been so worried I couldn’t sleep these past few days.” Ning Qingyuan was now completely relaxed, filled with mysterious confidence in Ning Xiyue.
“I told you before, don’t worry. I have a way. You didn’t listen—who’s to blame?”
Ning Xiyue gave Ning Qingyuan a mock reproachful glance, then smiled thankfully at Ning Qingzhi:
“Big brother’s just lucky. A few days ago, our brigade happened to get a bear, and I got the bear’s gallbladder. Bear gallbladder has amazing effects for improving vision. After taking it back, I experimented and finally made these two medicines. I even tested them myself—very effective for brightening the eyes.”
Ning Qingyuan nodded in agreement: “Our big brother is indeed a lucky guy.”
“Big brother, I’ve only prepared three days’ worth of medicine in the bag. After three days, I’ll give you more. This time, the second brother and I both have a month off, so we can stay here with you.”
“Good. I took the pill and the eye drops; my eyes already feel less painful.”
“Really? That’s wonderful!” Song Jiayin was overjoyed.
With this good news, the atmosphere in the ward lightened even more. Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces, and the heavy stone of worry in their hearts lifted halfway.
By noon, Ning Xiyue and the others hadn’t had a chance to go to the hospital cafeteria. Having been busy all morning, Comrade Ji brought meals over for them.
Looking at the lavish lunch in front of her, including the specially prepared lean meat soup and eggs for her big brother, Ning Xiyue felt deeply touched. Comrade Ji was thoughtful—this was truly a friend worth keeping.
She bowed in gratitude:
“Comrade Ji, thank you. And thank you for going out of your way to bring us food. I really appreciate your help with my big brother’s situation. Without you, my second brother and I wouldn’t have been able to arrive in time.”
Quickly, Ning Xiyue pulled out a wolf-tooth amulet from her pocket and handed it to Comrade Ji: “This is a small token of my appreciation. The wolf tooth was found, and I threaded the hole myself. Please don’t dislike it, Comrade Ji.”
Comrade Ji took out the remaining two meal boxes from his net bag, looked up at Ning Xiyue, shook his head slightly with warmth in his voice. His eyes reflected only her image, his expression focused:
“No need to thank me. We’re friends and comrades; this is something we should do. Eat more—taking care of patients is exhausting. If you need anything, just tell me. Don’t worry about troubling me.”
His eyes then fell on the wolf tooth in Ning Xiyue’s hands. With a trace of delight, he reached out and took it: “But I will accept this token of your kindness. Thank you.”
Comrade Ji: the object he had longed for was now in front of him. Could this mean that the treasure he had coveted for so long might one day be his? Holding the wolf tooth, a sweet warmth surged through him.
Ning Qingyuan placed one meal box in Ning Xiyue’s hand, then stepped aside and stood in front of Comrade Ji:
“Comrade Ji, I also thank you—for buying our train tickets, helping us get leave, picking us up, and taking care of big brother. From now on, I’ll call you Brother Ji. How about being our god-brother? From now on, we’ll be a family.”
Upon hearing the last sentence, Comrade Ji’s mood immediately soured. He tried to suppress the impulse in his eyes and spoke calmly: “You can call me Brother Ji, but god-brother is not allowed. My family doesn’t permit randomly claiming god-relatives.”
Family is fine; god-brother is not.
“That’s too bad,” Ning Qingyuan said, his face full of genuine regret. “Such a pity.”
Comrade Ji reached into his large pocket again and pulled out a can of milk powder: “The doctor said injured eyes need more protein. I replaced it with a can of milk powder for you. Remember to drink a cup every day.”
Ning Xiyue took the milk powder and put it away, her admiration for Comrade Ji growing—he was someone who noticed the little details.
“Old Ji, great favor unspoken, I’ll remember it in my heart,” Ning Qingzhi said, sipping the lean meat soup Song Jiayin had fed him, and touched his uninjured right chest.
“Mm, let’s all eat now, don’t catch cold.”
Comrade Ji handed chopsticks to Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan, placed the container of braised pork in front of Ning Xiyue, and then began to eat.
